If you are born again, then you belong to God and are destined to be planted in the kingdom of light. You were not created to spend your life in constant struggle. You are a child of the King, empowered to win!
It is time to lace up your combat boots, grab the artillery and put the enemy on the run. We are endued with heavenly power to combat the advancements of the enemy and send him packing.
Keys to Break an Attack
Let’s look at six keys to breaking a spiritual attack:
1. Break it with authority. “Look, I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. And nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19)
We do not engage the enemy from a place of defeat. A lot of people miss it when they attempt to break an attack. They have a mental vision of despair and defeat. I have seen people try to beg God to break the attack. He has endued us with heavenly authority, and we are to use it.
If an armed robber came into your home in an attempt to steal your most valuable possessions and take things that had special meaning for you, how would you deal with him? Would you politely ask the intruder to leave? Would you beg someone else to enforce the authority to make him leave? Would you be passive about the situation?
Most people would rise up with great force and do all that was in their power to make the robber get out of their home and off their property. They would refuse to allow an invader to take things that were precious to them. They would not have to wonder about what they should do. Instinctively a normal person would rise up and fight with great strength.
In the same manner you must embrace a spirit of strength and authority concerning who you are in the spirit. When hell comes to plunder your family, your emotions, your body—or when any type of attack arises—you must meet it with strength. Authority empowers strength. The devil can smell weakness a mile away, like a shark being drawn to blood in the water. You must lift up your voice and command him to take his hands off you! You break the attack with your words.
2. Break it with faith. “Without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He exists and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6).
You break spiritual attacks with faith. Jesus told us that if we would only believe, then all things would become possible (Mark 9:23). Faith breaks through the barriers of limitation and opens up the realms of possibility. Faith receives the promise of God as already completed.
You break out of the limiting and constraining force of a spiritual attack by exercising your faith. Notice in Hebrews 11:6 that faith unlocks pursuit. Rewards are the result of pursuit. Spiritual attacks fail when we pursue the answer. As we call out to Jesus our deliverer and command the mountain to move out of our way, based on our promise, we unlock heavenly results.
3. Break it with prayer. “Pray in the Spirit always with all kinds of prayer and supplication. To that end be alert with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” (Eph. 6:18).
A lifestyle of prayer undoes the work of spiritual attacks. The apostle Paul encouraged us in Ephesians 6:18 to live our lives in communion with God. What does that mean exactly? It means that regular, set times in the presence of God are absolutely key for us; each of us must establish and maintain them in our lives. In prayer we are strengthened. In prayer the mind of the Lord and the wisdom of God are unfolded to us. In prayer a strong assurance of the victory comes bursting forth like waters through a dam.
A strong prayer life will abort the assignment and the foul plots of the enemy. Prayer also releases much-needed wisdom strategies. When you recognize a spiritual attack, begin to seek God for His counsel and instruction. He already has the escape route mapped out and will lead you out with the spoils of the enemy.
4. Break it with resistance. “Therefore submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
The fierce winds of a spiritual attack blow aggressively in an effort to knock you down. It is very easy to just succumb to the pressure you feel mounting. That is exactly what the enemy is banking on. He believes that if he attacks you with great force, you will get tired and give up.
My spiritual father, Dr. Norvel Hayes, regularly stated, “The ministry of resistance is one of the greatest ministries in the Bible.” What was he talking about? God gave you a wonderful ministry called resistance. It is a highly effective weapon of war against the powers of the enemy. You can resist your way right out of a temptation, and you can resist your way right out of a raging storm!
To resist means “to fight against; to remain strong against the force or the effect of (something); to exert force in opposition.” When we resist the bombardment of the enemy we are standing our ground and combating him. We are embracing a fighting spirit.
How do we resist? We fight! We fight the onslaught of negative thoughts. We cast them down. We choose instead to meditate on the Word of God. So many people just forfeit their inheritance because they give in to deceptive thinking that is contrary to the Word of God. You must take authority over those thoughts and break their power.
5. Break it by standing firm. “But none of these things deter me. Nor do I count my life of value to myself, so that I may joyfully finish my course and the ministry which I have received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24).
Paul was not moved by the natural things going on around him. Attacks manifest and create storms around us. Satan attacks our finances, makes someone get mad at us, or releases an offense, all with a purpose to move us away from the promise. We must heed the advice of Paul and stay firmly planted.
Standing is the result of spiritual conviction. When you believe something is absolutely true, then you will not budge. Many people are easily moved because they are not deeply rooted and planted. We must strive to develop deep roots in our spirit life and become planted in our purpose. As we journey forward in destiny, there will be ups and downs, but if we are planted, we will remain faithful.
Sometimes just staying put is a tremendous victory strategy. As you refuse to let the devil push you off your purpose, you conquer his lies. Stand firm in the Word of the Lord. Stand firm in your prayer life. Stand firm in your convictions and rest in the truth that “this too shall pass!”
6. Break it with fasting. “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and break every yoke?” (Isaiah 58:6).
Prayer and fasting are power twins. Fasting is the laying aside of food for a set period of time in order to focus entirely on Jesus. There are many different ways to fast. The key is seeking God and discerning which road He is leading you to travel.
Why is fasting an effective tool for breaking an attack? Because it submits one part of your being that is not renewed (your carnal man, your body) to the part of you that is renewed (your spirit man). You set yourself aside for a designated period of time to come into the presence of the Lord. Your intimacy with Him and separation unto Him break bonds, remove burdens, and slice cords. It is not because of the sacrifice you make; it is because of the intimacy you gain with Him. When you fast and pray, you put yourself in a position of spiritual acceleration and heightened awareness.
His declaration over you and about you is the final authority, and I cannot find any Scriptures that authorize your destruction. Our God is a mighty man of war, and He teaches our hands to fight.
Your eyes have been opened to recognize a spiritual attack, and your sword has been sharpened to break it! {eoa}
The preceding is excerpted from Overcoming Spiritual Attack by Ryan LeStrange, published by Charisma House, 2016. Copyright © 2016 by Ryan LeStrange.
Ryan LeStrange started in ministry after training and serving under his spiritual father, Dr. Norvel Hayes. Ryan and his wife, Joy, lead Impact International Ministries based in Bristol, Virginia, which consists of several local churches and revival ministries. Through Ryan LeStrange Ministries, he travels the globe preaching, igniting revival and moving in the power of God. Ryan can be seen weekly on his television program, Power 4 Today, airing around the world on GodTV. He is the founder and apostle of Impact International Apostolic Fellowship, networking and fathering ministers around the world. Ryan has written several books releasing an apostolic and prophetic perspective to the body of Christ.
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